Car-coupling device



7 v. WROCLAWSKI 3 ,788

CAR COUPLING DEVI CE Filed April 5. 1929 ffzaavz? T, 7 drz woe/410 ,62. [1/0 72665 11 W M 7 22mm,- 1 l @y 7 Patented Jan. 13, 1931 Qumran sirmss PATENT .BQIGISZEWSKLIOF CHICAGO, ILLINQIS 1 CAR-GQULELING DEVICE" Application filed. A ril 3, 1929. sen-aim. 352,230.

This invention relates to an improved car coupling device for vehicles suchas railway cars, street car-struck trailers, and the like. The mam ob ects of my invention are to provide an improved form and arrangement of draw-bar couplingmembers for avoiding the necessity of manually holding a coupling pin in an inoperative position while cars are being uncoupled and manually placing the pin in operative position after cars are coupled; to provide means for locking a coupling member in an. operative position '011 a draw-bar of-a car when two cars are bumped together during coupling thereof'without re' quirin'g manual v -operations; to provide improved means for releasably securing a coupling member in an operative position on the draw bar of a car, which may be conveniently set in an inoperativeposition and "jarring of coupling operations; to provide an later moved to an operative position by the improved coupling pin which,automatically retains itself in inoperative position by -a wedging action after it has been lifted from anpperative position and released, and which-may be subsequently jarred into an i by the i'mpactof coupling In the drawings I have shown the specific embodiment of my invention a in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan of my imi proved coupling.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan showing one of the coupling hooks in open positioni Fig. 3 is a fragmentarysectiontaken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.'

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section similar to Fig. 3 showing the pin 1n an lnoperatlve position.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section showing the pin in a raised position.

Fig. 6'is a fragmentary detail of the coupling pin showing the parts thereofin spaced relation. i

I Fig. 7 is a side elevation ofthe improved coupling pin.

Ingeneral, myimproved ear coupling de-,

vice comprises a coupling member or hook pivotally mounted on a draw-bar head. The draw-bar head extends into an end recess in couplin the hook formed by spaced 'czlieeh-pl'ates; The cheeleplates arid the draw bar headare prorded with registering apertures for receiving a coupling pin. I 7 p The coupling pin comprises upper and 7 th'eisection's when they are inexten'ded' posli tion. A small pin in the lower portion extends into registering grooves in the lower cheek-plate and draw-bar rh-ead respectively and engages in a groove in the-uppercheeli ,zpl-atejwhi'ch has an inclined bottom side for preventing separation of the coupling pin .from -:the rest of the device and wedgingly holding the lower section of the coupling pin temporarily in an "inoperative position.

WVhen the upper part .Ozfttlle coupling pin is released, it falls downwardly relative to the lower section and the initered extremities produce a lateral weclging action aga inst the sides-of the aperture. in the upper cheek-plate VALENTY wRooLA'wsKI, or CHICAGO, rumors, .ASSIGNOB orlolvnroun rn T-Q osrmir which securely holds the coupling pin inin- -o pera'tive position until parts thereof are jarred. into alinement by the vibration. caused when two cars are bumped together during coupling operations; l/Vh-en the parts or" the ling pin tallsi-nte operative position? so g pin become in alinement, theooup- Z In the form shown, aicoupling hookfl 'CQ'ITI'.

r v prising upper and lower cheek-plates 2 and 3 respectively, is pivotally mounted by a pin 4: on-the head 5 otthe draw-bar 6. The head of the draw-bar extends into an end recess in the hook member '1 between the upper ,,and lower c heek-pl'atesQ and 3; As indicatedin Fig. 1 the draw-barsof-opposite ends of cars When cars arebiunped together during coupling. operation the ffcou'pling hooks I are moved from the open position shown. in

2 to'ft'he closed position shown in Fig. 1.

f areprovided. with complementary coup-ling Thefu'p'per a d, lower cheek plates? cm are provided with rectangular slots 7 and r 8 respect vely, whlch reglster with a correstantially in alinernent when the sections are in the extended position shown in Fig. 7.

ly, is provided in the slots in the cheek-plates and head 5 for securing the hook member 1 in the closed position shown-in Fig. 1.

The adjacent extremities of the sections 10 and 11 of the coupling pin are mitered, and the upper section provided with a tapered dovetailed groove 12 for receiving a tapereddovetailed fin 13 on the lower section 11.

The dovetailed joint formed by the slot 12' and fin 13 retains the surfaces of the upper and lower sections 10 and 11 of the pin, sub- W hen the sections are in extended position the pin will fall freely through the slots in the cheek-plates and head 5 when they are in registration.

A pin 14 projects from the right-hand side of the lower section 11 as viewed in Figs. 3 and t. This pin extends into slots 15 and 16 in the draw-bar head 5 and the lower cheekplate 3 respectively. A slot 17 in the upper cheek-plate 2 is provided for receiving the pin 14: when it is in its raised position. This slot has an inclined end wall 18 against which the pin 1&1 abuts for preventing separation of the coupling pin from the coupling hook. The inclined end wall 18 also serves to urge the lower section 11 of the coupling pin into the position shown in Fig. 5, wherein it is temporarily restrained from falling by the wedging action between the pin 1 1 and the inclined wall 18.

f Then the device is installed on a car the head 19 of the coupling pin is pivotally connected to a lever, not shown in the accompanying. drawings, which extends outwardly to the side of the car, by means of which the pin may be raised to inoperative position. WVhen the pin is raised by the levers, the lower I section becomes slightly wedged in the slot 7 of the upper cheek-plate 2 in the manner shown in Fig.5. This wedging action tem- =porarily holds the lower section in its uppermost position; WVhen the upper section 10 is released it falls downwardly relative to the lower section 11 and the mitered extremities of the two sections cause them to assume the oiiset position shown in Fig. 4'. The movecars are bumped together during coupling operations, the vibration resulting jars the sections of the pin substantially into alinement with each other and permits the pin to fall through the slots 8 and 9 in the lower cheek-plate 3 and head 5 respectively into an operative position.

By means of the construction described, any number of coupling hooks may be set in open position with the pins thereof held in an inoperative postion. Then when the cars are bumped together the coupling hooks are secured in closed position by the falling of the coupling pin, which movement takes place without manual assistance and without requiring workmen to follow the dangerous practice of entering between the cars.

Although but one specific embodiment of my invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that details of the construction shown may be altered or" omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention, as defined by the following claim.

I claim:

A car-coupling device comprising a drawbar, a coupling member mounted on said draw-bar for connecting with the draw-bar of another car, a pin slidably mounted in apertures in said coupling member and drawbar for retaining said coupling member in an operative position comprising relatively movable parts having mitered adjacent extremities for wedgingly securing said pin in an adjusted inoperative position when the pinois lifted and then released, and a dovetailed joint between said parts for securing the same together, said joint being adapted to limit the relative extension of said bar for alining the sides thereof when the device is VALENTY WROCLAWSKI.

ment of the upper section 10 relative to the lower section 11 causes thepin l lto be disengaged from the inclined wall 18 and the pin is retained in an inoperative position by the wedging action caused by'the ofi'set arrangement of its upper and lower sections.

In the above manner, the pin may be man- 'ually moved to an inoperative position and automatically retained in that inoperative position without manual assistance. WVhen the pin is in the position shoWn' in Fig. 4; and 

